A GNA feature by Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Lower Dixcove (W/R), Nov. 9, GNA – The discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in Ghana in 2007 and subsequent production of the commodity in 2010 initially brought joy and high expectations from Ghanaians, especially the residents of the Western Region.
The people had high prospect of employment opportunities, potential reduction in prices of petroleum products in the country, reduce poverty levels, enhance the general welfare of the people and increase access to healthcare.
They also hoped that it will improve road networks in the oil enclave and access to water, as well as the electrification of communities to the National Grid, school infrastructure and the economic well-being of the people.
Fishermen along the six coastal districts of the Region stretching from Shama, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ahanta West, Nzema East, Ellembelle and Jomoro districts were among people with high aspirations.
However, five years down the lane, the expectations of the people have been dashed as most fishermen who spoke to the GNA expressed their unhappiness with the impact of oil production, saying their livelihoods had been snapped from their hands.
Even though the oil companies undertook Environmental and Social Impact Assessment before commencement of work on the oilfield, none of them undertook Fisheries Impact Assessment as required by the Fisheries Act of 2002 (Act 625).
The Fisheries Impact Assessment clearly defined the plan or measures a particular oil company has put in place to avert negative impact on the fish stock and how it would support fishermen in the event that its operations adversely affects the fisheries resources.
It would be recalled that since 2009, there have been more than 30 dead whales washed ashore on the coastline of the country, particularly in the Western Region.
In addition, seaweeds are occasionally spotted in large quantities along the sea shore of some coastal communities in the Region, which have had negative impact on the activities of fishermen.
Nana Kwesi Acheampong, a fisherman at Lower Dixcove told journalists that the location of the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Vessel on the sea had restricted fishermen from fishing near the vessel because of the danger posed to the oil installations and fishermen themselves.
He stated that in view of the light around the FPSO, it attracted fishes to the facility any time they cast their nets.
Also, the sea waves moved the nets towards the facility and naval personnel patrolling the oil installations seized their nets.
Moreover, the restriction had prevented them from venturing into areas that are rich with fish stock and that had restricted their movements and woefully affected fish catch.
‘We cannot pay our children’s school fees and our wives have divorced us because we cannot provide them housekeeping money,’ Mr Acheampong said.
Mr Benjamin Kwofie, the Health and Safety Officer of the Petroleum Commission, said about 500 metres from the oil rig is a ‘no go area’ because fishing activities posed danger to the rig because the fishing gear like the nets could entangle the oil installations installed under the seabed.
He said the Commission had recorded 320 incursions per months in recent times and therefore warned fisher folks to exercise restrain before a disaster strike.
An independent investigations conducted by the GNA revealed that the premix fuel, which the government had subsidized for fisher folks was fraught with a lot of corruption.
Some premix committee members who are authorised to sell the commodity deliberately hoard the products and sell them to other fishermen in other fishing communities thus, leading to temporary shortage of the product in the designated landing beach site.
A number of residents in the coastal communities had experienced high tidal waves, which have been destroying structures and buildings along the coastline and forced its way to the communities thus, making them live in constant fear.
The situation had been attributed to climate change due to global warming therefore resulting in the rise of the sea.
Nana Acheampong from Lower Dixcove claimed that the high tidal waves claimed one or two lives every year because it capsized boats and canoes that tried to berth at the beach while those embarking on fishing expedition also had their canoes capsized.
He also alleged that some fishermen in other fishing communities were still using light for fishing, which was having detrimental effect on fish stock; however the security agencies had not taken a firm decision to stop the illegal practice.
Mr Kwesi Adolf Johnson, a Community Relations Officer of Friends of the Nation, a non-governmental organisation, interested in the usage of the natural resources and environment, said there was an urgent need to create fish reserve areas where oil exploration and production would be prohibited so that fishermen could undertake fishing expedition there.
Nana Kweku Assifuah, a spokesperson of the Chief Fisherman of Lower Dixcove, claimed supply vessels have been crashing their canoes and destroying their fishing gears and equipment without any compensation.
On the back of the oil discovery, Ghana went to the Britton Wood Institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to borrow money for development projects with 10.17 percent interest rate.
How much of the funds borrowed from those institutions have been spent on fisher folks in providing alternative livelihood programme in order to improve their lives and their dependents?
Currently, the country is spending one-third of its annual budget to service debts from the Britton Wood Institutions thus leaving little for developments.
The situation could be attributed to the fall in the market prices of crude oil and other commodities on the world market.
Against this backdrop, the country is not getting sufficient funds from the sale of its raw materials on the world market.
What contingency measures did the managers of the economy put in place to cater for such economic downturn? Are we becoming a nation that does not have plan ‘B’ and thus, put all our eggs in one basket?
Although there are some physical infrastructure such as roads, health facilities, sea defence walls and school managers blocks that the government had undertaken in the Region, what about social interventions that have direct bearing on the livelihoods of the fisher folks?
Madam Joana Koomson, a government appointee assembly member, indicated that the concerns of fishermen have been neglected, despite constant reminder to the authorities to support fishermen had fallen on deaf ears.
It’s about time the of the economy put in place pragmatic measures to resource the fisher folks whose sources of income had been snatched away from them before they start agitating because ‘the devil finds work in an idle hands’.
Per experiences in rich-resource nations across the globe, militia groups easily recruit economically vulnerable persons for their mischievous activities such as bombing of oil installations and causing mayhem in the society, Ghana our dear nation must exercise caution and not take the people for granted since ‘a word to the wise is enough’.
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